Energy and enviromental assessment of electricity production from winter cereals biomass harvested in two locations of Northern Spain

Abstract

The 200928EC Renewable Energy Directive (RED), established a sustainability criteria for biofuels in the EU-27 and stated a minimum greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions saving to be achieved compared to the fossil fuel replaced (35 until 2017, 50 during 2017, and 65 after January 1st of 2018). Several studies suggest that lignocellulosic energy crops may have a better performance compared to liquid biofuels when assessing GHG emissions. Nevertheless, most research on RED compliance usually focuses on liquid biofuels and there are few studies assessing lignocellulosic herbaceous biomass crops for electricity. In Spain, a large availability of low competitive cereals lands for grain production could become into rain fed winter grass cuttings for biomass combustion plants production in a near future. This study analysed GHG emissions and energy balances of electricity production from highly productive genotypes of three annual winter cereals (rye, triticale and oat) and compared them with those of the Spanish electricity produced using natural gas. A range of biomass yields was obtained through genotype variability and relatively common and homogeneous management practices that are used by most farmers in rain fed cereal agriculture. Evidences indicated that electricity produced from the winter cereals biomass combustion had in most cases considerable reductions in terms of GHG emissions when compared to electricity from natural gas.